Medical Supplies For Kilpatrick

Volvo Ocean Race

At 1444 GMT Grant Dalton confirmed by email that they have picked up the medical supplies that were dropped for the aid of ill Keith Kilpatrick, who is suffering from a stomach illness onboard Amer Sports One.

"Thank you for a very well performed coordination of this mission. The Orion [plane] arrived smack on time at 1300 GMT and dropped, all in all, seven packages. Sea conditions were good with 13 knots of wind from the west. All packages were successfully retrieved. We used the mainsail and the engine for the pickups. The operation was finished at 1332 GMT and Orion returned home. Looks like we have all we need for Keith [Kilpatrick]." said Dalton. Amer Sports One continues to race to the Australian coast to get Kilpatrick to hospital as soon as possible.

In the meantime the fierce battle for the lead in Leg two of the Volvo Ocean Race continues. 24 hours ago there were two different views on short-term tactics among the navigators. Marcel van Triest of leading yacht SEB opted for a northerly approach, splitting from the main pack even though they were ahead by 16 miles over illbruck. ASSA ABLOY, illbruck, djuice and News Corp went to the east instead. Now the yachts converge towards a point on 100 E and are all within 16 miles. Looks like a restart of leg 2 for them.

Amer Sports Too is in stronger conditions still and they make up lost distance, averaging five knots higher speed than leading SEB.